NetworkManger 1.2 to Offer Tracking Protection in Wi-Fi Networks on Linux Systems

[Batu69]

Coming soon to a GNU/Linux distribution near you

 NetworkManager in Ubuntu

 

Fedora contributor and NetworkManager developer Lubomir Rintel writes on his blog about an important feature that is currently missing from the NetworkManger network connection management software used in hundreds of GNU/Linux OSes.

The developer begins the story by ranting about the evolution of the mobile networking, as we now live in an era where the Internet is everywhere, on your mobile device that you carry with you in your pocket every single day, on your laptop, and even on your wrist. With this evolution, the methods of intercepting one's connection also become accessible to almost anyone out there.

"The mobile computing is on a steep rise for over a decade now and so is the always-on networking. You probably have a networked phone in your pocket now, carry a laptop and maybe a tablet computer, all connected to the Internet," said Lubomir Rintel. "With the availability of the wireless networks, mobile networking is easier by ever. What’s also easier than ever is violating one’s privacy."

The problem and the solution

Further in the article, Mr. Rintel explains how your devices are being identified on a network by a unique number that most of us know by the name of MAC address. Same goes for mobile networking, as your laptop's or mobile phone's MAC address is, in most cases, broadcasted everywhere you go before you even attempt a connection to a wireless network. And that's a problem for your privacy.

The solution? Well, Lubomir Rintel suggests that one method of protecting your privacy while on the go, and remain anonymous at all times, is randomization of the MAC address while scanning for Wi-Fi networks. Apple is already using this method on its award-winning iOS 8 and later mobile operating system, and so is Microsoft in Windows 10, so Linux users will get it in the upcoming NetworkManager 1.2 release.

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